5 Different Cannabis Ingestion Methods & How They Affect You

Cannabis is being used for various purposes in the world today. The long standing belief that cannabis is the gateway drug into the world of cocaine and heroin has diminished in people. Scientists and researchers have conducted endless experiments and research to list the usage of this plant. The results till date have mostly been positive.

There are a lot of ways in which a person can ingest cannabis. The time has passed when the only way to ingest cannabis was to roll a joint. There are new techniques and each technique effects the system metabolism in a different way. Here are 5 basic cannabis ingestion methods.

#1: Smoking

This is the most common and widely acclaimed way of smoking cannabis. The cannabis is put inside a paper roll or a smoking apparatus like a bong or chillum and then lit. The plant when heated releases psychoactive THC which generates the high. Even though the THC is transferred through the bloodstream and into your brain, a lot of THC remains in the smoke. So this method is not suitable for therapeutic purposes.

#2: Vaporization

In this process, the cannabis is heated up to the point where it releases the resin. Then this THC directly enters the blood stream without having to suffer from the ill effects of smoking. Vaporization prevents the formation of carcinogenic ash, a major plus point. The effects are similar to smoking, but the degree of ‘high’ is higher.

#3: Edible Cannabis

In this technique, the cannabis is infused in various edible products. This is one of the strongest cannabis ingestion methods and the liver metabolizes the THC. As a result THC is converted to more usable forms by the body. A certain compound called 11-hydroxy-THC is formed which is 4-5 times more psychoactive than THC.

#4: Cannabis Oil and Tinctures

In this process, a certain alcohol solvent is used to extract the THC filled cannabis oil from the plant. This is mostly used for medicinal purposes as the tinctures can have varying amounts of THC depending on the usage.

#5: Raw Cannabis

Ideally consumed with smoothies, this method involves drinking or eating raw cannabis. This does not generate psychoactive THC in the body since it’s not heated. The THC acids present in cannabis exist in their original form thereby not generating any pronounced ‘high’.

These were some of the most prevalent cannabis ingestion methods in the world today.